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Amy Winehouse, Primrose Hill, 2004 by Jake Chessum

The Art of Music Photography at London’s Barbican

In the Moment: The Art of Music Photography : Until 25th September 2023, Barbican Library : Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS. Free

Located in the wonderful music library of London’s Barbican Centre, this free exhibition celebrates the anniversary of Rockarchive, a collective of leading music photographers which was founded by celebrated photographer Jill Furmanovsky some 25 years ago.

  1. Taken nearly 20 years apart, photographs of Pete Townshend’s guitar flying through the air at Madison Square Garden by Michael Putland, and Liam and Noel Gallagher photographed by Jill Furmanovsky during the making of the Wonderwall video, are two of the timeless images which feature in the exhibition.

The exhibition showcases a wide range of iconic rock and roll images, and those who shot them. Among the legendary performers caught in the moment during a recording session, live gig, or photo shoot are David Bowie, who can be seen on a contact sheet of photographs for his Aladdin Sane album cover, Debbie Harry, Queen, Biggie Smalls, Led Zeppelin, Lady Gaga, and Amy Winehouse.

  1. The exhibition also contains a series of cases containing memorabilia collected by Rockarchive and also a listening post created for the exhibition by the Barbican Library.

Promising to be a visual feast for music and photography fans alike, the exhibition, which is sponsored by MPB Europe Ltd, will include the photographers’ own accounts of how they took the shots, and chronicle the evolution of music photography over the last 70 years.

For more information about Rock Archive go here.

For information on opening times and location please go here.